It’s so easy to fall into a trap of misery and hopelessness. Please don’t let yourself become discouraged. You don’t deserve this, and you did nothing to cause it. Regaining your mental health is vitally important to beating bed bugs. It is the first step in winning the war against them.

Outside the home, bed bugs are most often associated with places where travelers stay. Hotels, youth hostels, summer camps, and dormitories are bed bug havens. But those are not the only places they can be found. Because they are so mobile, with the ability to hitch rides on suitcases and clothing, they’ve even turned up on cruise ships, movie theaters and airplanes.

For most people, the bite is the first indication of a bed bug problem. Bedbugs normally bite people while they are sleeping. They get to your blood by piercing the skin and injecting a salivary fluid that causes your blood to flow easier (an anticoagulant) and also anesthetizes your skin, so you won’t feel the sting, immediately wake up, and crush the little vampire.

Many people never see a live bed bug until the infestation is severe. And even then, they may not see a live one. In fact, I’ve heard it said that if you see just one live bed bug, you already have a runaway problem. And that’s because bed bugs are so good at hiding.

I know you think you have bed bugs, but are you sure? Knowing what kind of bugs you have is absolutely critical. If you don't know exactly what you are dealing with, you will not be able to destroy the infestation.

Over the last few years, the bed bug problem in the US and Canada has grown exponentially.

Pest control companies nationwide reported a 71% increase in bed bug infestations between 2000 and 2005. Orkin Pest Control says it went for 50 years with virtually no bed bug activity, and now it is treating them in nearly every state.